Friday, August 1, 2014

Interstitial Lung Disease Prognosis in Elderly Men and Women

Concerned relatives are usually very interested in the interstitial
lung disease prognosis in elderly men and women. This disease is quite
serious and in most cases, the outcome is not good.

Both
incidence and mortality increase with age. Physicians are often unable
to predict a positive outcome for persons who are affected, especially
if the condition was not detected early.

The earliest symptoms of this illness are usually difficulty breathing
or shortness of breath. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is actually a
group of disorders. These cause the pulmonary tissues to become inflamed. Over time, the alveoli become scarred and cannot expand as they need to.

Some
older people who are affected may have worked in asbestos, or had an
autoimmune disease that triggered the illness. Others took medications
or received radiation
therapy that caused this problem. Your outlook depends on the cause. If
you have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is a form of this
illness, the chances of recovery are lower. A lung transplant may be
recommended in this case.

According to the National Library of
Medicine in the United States, women and men may first have difficulty
breathing after climbing stairs, running or other forms of physical exercise.
If you notice this and also have a dry cough, you should see your
doctor as soon as possible. Interstitial lung disease prognosis improves
when the illness is detected early.
Source: Nlm.nih.gov, "Diffuse Interstitial Lung Disease", http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000128.htm